UKC

Just got to get this off my chest...
You wait till May to venture there and you still freeze your nuts off. The wind curves around the crag and you can never find shelter. We avoid the routes carpeted in green moss and those laughably graded bouldery starts. In my book deckfall 5C is not E1, or that other ridiculous grade of VS 5B. Maybe youngsters bounce better than me or perhaps the tea cosies (or dreadlocks) they wear on there heads slow down their descent. When I fall off I want it to be a heroic flight into space hundreds of feet up and not an ignominious ankle crunching splat into cow shit in front of bemused grockles who are wondering why you didn't take the easy way up the cut steps.
Despite all this negativity I avoid whimping out and climb Hangover (E1 5a). Other than losing pints of blood from my knee after proudly displaying a knee bar to my less than impressed second it goes quite well. My trousers are glued to my knee by coagulated blood for the rest of the day but I think it was worth it. I had managed to block out the noise of screaming kids and barking dogs and I didn't swear too much when I had to abb for a stuck friend.
I pull the abb rope through so my mate can lead it. He arrives at my belay to find .... nothing! Some tourist t*%t has stolen £60 worth of nuts, slings and krabs!!! Can you f*"! ing believe it!
So Hay tor is not going to be high on my list for future outings. Give me guano, puking fulmars, loose rock and herring gulls bouncing off my helmet every time.

In reply to Kafoozalem:

Jeez - bad luck K.

I've often thought about abbing off the top to clean the moss off Ann, but am scared some grockle or yolkel chav will rip out the gear for fun!

I agree about the grades:
- VS-5b for a route where the first gear is at 20ft high above the deck after the crux and continued tricky moves.
- E2-5c for a route where the first gear is at 15ft about a tenuous but powerful crux and a nasty landing (my mate had a bad deck-out when peeling off on this)
- HVS-5a for a route where the first gear is placed balancing on a polished crystals on a slab 20ft off the deck.
- HVS-5c for a one move wonder that's better to solo than lead. Just don't fall without a mat.
HVS-5b for the most ridiculously technical and strenuous move of that grade the price of failure for which is a lovely ankle/knee snapping pedestal.

Ahhh - good old Haytor.

Still - on a warm summers evening, when the grocks and yolks have gone, with the rock glowing from gold to pink and the orange sun slowly sinking behind Hameldown, the place is magic. You'll never want to be puked on by a fulmar again.

In reply to Kafoozalem:

Yeah but that is a bumbly paradise, go down to lowman not a grock in sight, plus you have the delightfull sandbags on this piece of impeccable granite - Rhino is nails, although Aviation for extreme is pretty soft, also have great memories of the classic E3 down there, crimping so hard on those crystals my tips started bleeding.

Which route were you up, were you there today? I saw a load of gear (slings nuts etc) but did not steal it. I saw some yokel looking suspicious though. I was there about 2pm today

In reply to Kafoozalem:

My advice to you is keep an eye on Ebay for you kit... they wont use it or know much about it, and for sure will want to sell it so... keep looking on Ebay.

Hi Space Monkey,

We were on Hangover and yes it would have been about 2pm. Maybe we talked with you. I can't believe climbers would steal it since we are all vulnerable at the crag so I reckon a yokel would be responsible. It spoils the enjoyment when you feel you can't go out of sight of your gear.

Hey Cusco,
Of course everything you say is right. I have had some magic experiences back in the eighties on Low Man in evening light.
You just need a warm and windless evening after the crowds have gone. Walking back in the dark looking at the lights of Teignmouth and Torbay is quite special too.

Pete.

In reply to Conquistador of the usless:
Ok I had some great experiences in the eighties leading Interrogation, Rhino, Igneous pig etc. All a bit out of reach at the moment

In reply to Kafoozalem: I wasn't climbing there yesterday, we were walking. I went up to the top of haytor via the steps with my 3 yr daughter.